They meet in the Posthuman Dada Guide, in the Dada spirit of self-contradiction. It is and it has always been foolish and self-destructive to lead a Dada life. . . . The Guide is an impractical handbook for practical living in our posthuman world, all by way of examining the imagined 1916 chess game between Tristan Tzara, the soul of Dada, and Lenin, who apparently gets to represent the Posthuman.

Local heath care operator MedLife has acquired a Brasov based clinic for a price exceeding EUR 3 million, the company has announced. MedLife has bought an 80 percent package in Policlinca de Diagnostic Rapid in Brasov, one of the biggest private health care operator in the city. The Brasov clinic brings to the network a clinic and two laboratories with a staff of 200. the local clinic posted a turnover of EUR 3 million in 2009.

Romanians have started to buy provisions at lower prices just before the VAT increase, which has left many supermarkets and hypermarkets without stocks for certain production, like oil, sugar and other basic food items. Store like discounter Profi have seen their sale go up by 20 to 30 percent in the last couple of days, compared to the average sales before the VAT hike announcement.

Romanian news Nokia achieves 1 billion-euro business in only three years – in Ziarul Financiar, Food and car sales grow before the VAT increase – in Ziarul Financiar, Finance Minister announces deeper recession than expected in 2010 – in Ziarul Financiar

Drug imports 17 times higher than exports – in Ziarul Financiar

The International Monetary Fund board will meet on Friday, July 2nd, to discuss the fourth revision of the stand-by agreement with Romania, which could unlock the fifth loan installment to Romania, around EUR 900 million. If the board approves this installment, the money should go into the Romanian Central bank reserves within two working days.

Flooding has caused a death toll of 16 so far, with other nine people gone missing, after as many as 28 counties in the country were affected by heavy rain. The flooding is expected to cause damages higher than 0.6 percent of the Romanian GDP, according to Interior Minister Vasile Blaga, who said the country will use the EU solidarity fund for help.

The Romanian currency has further depreciated today and the Romanian Central bank has published a rate of RON 4.35 for an EUR. The US dollar has also strengthened, reaching a record rate of RON 3.56 for a USD.

Housing trading prices in Romania dropped by 3.9 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period of last year, according to the first real estate index published by the Romanian Institute of Statistics (INS). The data collected was based on information provided by notaries starting January 2009.

The Romanian currency RON has continued to depreciate on Monday, after the week-end announcement about the VAT increase and after having suffered a first round of depreciation last Friday, after the Constitutional Court ruled out the decrease of pensions.

The exchange rate reached RON 4.37 for EUR on the inter-banking market towards the end of the day, after foreign investors have bought euro.

Romanian media
Bad news from Romania hurt forint, Romania market is too small – in Ziarul Financiar, Euro up to new all time highs, NBR won’t intervene – in Ziarul Financiar, Budget deficit climbs by another 1bn euros in May, to 3.1% of GDP – in Ziarul Financiar, Reduced VAT rates of 9% and 5% remain unmodified – in Ziarul Financiar

Romtelecom tailors voice and Internet offer for renewed consumption decline – in Ziarul Financiar

10 largest consumer goods firms: The crisis, visible in halved profits – in Ziarul Financiar

Several Chinese companies have discussed the possibility of investing in wind farms, agriculture and the mining system in Romania with the local Government in the last month, in an attempt to increase trade in Eastern Europe. Among the planned Chinese projects in Eastern Europe is a EUR 1 billion thermal power plant, according to the Financial Times.

The Romanian central bank (BNR) is likely to keep the key interest rate unchanged at 6.25 percent after its board meeting this Wednesday, according to analysts quoted by Mediafax newswire.

The Central bank has been slashing the rate in its previous board meetings, but it will not continue to do so due to the recently announced hike in the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate to 24 percent.

The key interest rate was of 8 percent at the beginning of the year, when BNR continued to cut the interest rate, after slashing 2.25 percentage points last year.